REJOICE as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is back with an episode that puts our agents through a bit of an emotional ringer even when the team is split apart through the universe. One group tries to embrace a future of hope while being haunted by a face from the past while the other group’s search for a face from the past ends forcing them into a shaky future.
“Missing Pieces” lets us know that things have changed for the team and what lies ahead will be nothing but heartbreak and drama….okay so that hasn’t changed.
So let’s dig into “Missing Pieces” by mentioning the team who’s still on planet Earth and someone who has a face that looks very familiar to them. So one year later after the season 5 finale lets check in shall we?
TEAM EARTH
With Mack as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, things aren’t looking too bad right now. Yo-Yo and May are still with him on Earth and S.H.I.E.L.D once again has more than like 5 members. (Though Mack’s personal life isn’t quite going so good. His relationship with Yo-Yo is over and Yo-Yo has moved on with a new dude. To which I say, good for her.) However, new power breaches are popping up on Earth. After a little confrontation with the group causing them, we find out they have a leader who is causing these. Sarge is his name, and Sarge has a familiar looking face of one Phil Coulson.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.? Never heard of it." #AgentsofSHIELD @clarkgregg pic.twitter.com/p2gMyIEzkF
— Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (@AgentsofSHIELD) May 11, 2019
It doesn’t shock me that Clark Gregg wasn’t going anywhere even if they did kill off Coulson. So I applaud the way they brought him back like they did for Brett Dalton in seasons 3 and 4. After all, having your main bad guy look like your former leader/mentor is going to be one hell of a mind trip for the team to go through this season. Especially May who seemed like she was at peace with Phil’s death. How is she going to deal with the emotions of seeing Phil’s face on an evil, vile man who is willing to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to free his people? My heart is already breaking for the first time she goes face to face with Sarge.
So other than having a group from another dimension causing waves of death and destruction that’s led by a heartless individual with the face of a person who you all loved, the team is doing great! So what about the team in space? The search for Fitz is probably going well, right? RIGHT?
TEAM SPACE
So yeah it looked like it would be an easy trip to find and rescue Fitz from his cryopod…yeah it would have been if the ship he and Enoch were on wasn’t sliced in half! Now both are missing and one year late Simmons, Daisy, Piper and Davis are on their last legs searching for Fitz. Things actually look good as the team finds Fitz’s pod after a little run-in with an alien scavenger/criminal but the pod ends up being empty.
As much as I loved the Earth stuff, I loved everything about the Space scenes just for all the character and emotional moments. Elizabeth Henstridge is my MVP of the episode just for the silent scene where Simmons stands over Fitz’s pod and goes inside of it. Without saying a word, you feel all the pain and desperation Jemma has been through in this lost year. She just wants to get Fitz back. That’s all she wants and she doesn’t know what to do next so all the emotion hits her at that moment. Just a well-acted and well-shot scene from Elizabeth and director Clark Gregg.
While in the pod, Simmons spots some alien writing and thanks to studying alien language (Which the others should have done to be honest) , she has an idea where Fitz could be : a planet that is deep, deep, DEEEEEP in space. So much so that the other team members Piper, Davis and Daisy don’t want to go. They are tired, on their last nerve with each other and just want to go home. Basically what any of us would be like after a year in space away from your home.
Thanks to a distraction from a Confederacy ship, Simmons makes the choice for the team and launches them into deep space. Normally, I’d tell Simmons she was wrong for doing this but if it reunites FitzSimmons quicker, then I am all for it. Also, space battles are so cool and I’d like to see a few more.
But what kind of Fitz will they find? At the end of the episode, Fitz is found working at some alien planet for someone called “The Collector”. Cool Cool Cool but then he injects himself with something and now has been giant green eyes! NO Fitz, drugs are bad! Alien Drugs are even BADDER!!
So with our team separated, the next question to ask is : When will they all reunite?
That might be awhile as Team Space need to find Fitz and find their way home. Then, what happens when Simmons, Fitz and especially Daisy meet Sarge with Coulson’s face?
Lots of emotional drama is coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and I can’t wait.
MISSION NOTES:
- What happened to Enoch? I know the team isn’t looking for him but I hope he’s okay too.
- YAY to Agent Piper and Agent Davis getting more time to shine this season. I always love when supporting characters get more time and Piper and Davis’s annoying brother/ mean sister dynamic is just too fun to ignore.
- Seriously, Yo-Yo…you go get it.
- Mack and May go visit a old professor to help with the power breaches and also restart up S.H.I.E.L.D academy. Not a big scene but a nice character scene for both.
- As for when this is set (re: The Snap) , I have no clue. Not mentioned and probably won’t be. And that is okay. For now at least.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D airs Friday at 8/7c on ABC.